


All signs point to yes

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: Clueless Clint, Hurt Clint, M/M, Tired clint, mandatory funday, proposal, sappy Bucky, scavenger hunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21553279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Bucky forces Clint to participate in a team building Scavenger Hunt.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Comments: 17
Kudos: 151
Collections: Mandatory Fun Day





	All signs point to yes

It was a staring match, one for the decade probably. Bucky was holding one end of the comforter while Clint held the other, trying to tug it back up to cacoon himself. Bucky’s eyes twitched a little, probably out of annoyance at his boyfriend’s antics, but Clint was promised sleep and three hours did _not_ constitute as sleep, that was a poor man’s nap at best. Anytime Bucky would pull just a little harder, Clint would match the pull; he wasn’t sure how long it would be before they ripped the blanket and then there would really be a fight. 

The mission was rough, and while Clint didn’t come home with anything broken for a change, he was nothing but a giant bruise. Even trying to pull the blankets away from Bucky was making his shoulders hurt, but he wasn’t one to give up easily. Clint wasn’t one to back down from a challenge though, he’d push his limits if his mind was set on something.

Bucky let go of the blanket suddenly, Clints arms flew back and smacked into the headboard. He was fairly positive he winced, pain radiating down his arms. Bucky actually glared at Clint, so Clint glared back for a moment before he sat up. That time he knew he winced because something in his back tweaked and he felt like dying.

Bucky’s face softened instantly. He tapped his ears then grabbed Clint’s aids, handing them over carefully. Clint sighed, resigning himself that this was happening, and looped them in with ease. His eyes looked up and he tried to get a read on Bucky, but the nervous energy was confusing him. And Clint- his mind immediately went to something being wrong. He knew Bucky signed something about going out tonight, but with the amount of nervous energy he was giving off, Clint was pretty sure something was wrong with someone or this was a public break up so Clint couldn’t make a scene.

“I know you want to sleep, and I wish I could let you but… this is important to me, okay?” Bucky said gently. “It would mean a lot to me if… if you just went along with it.” He cupped Clint’s face gently, his thumbs stroking his jaw and Clint’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment. “I swear it will be worth it.”

“Coffee.” He heard Bucky chuckle before he leaned in for a quick kiss. Clint tried to make it a little more, grabbed onto Bucky’s shirt but the man pulled away. “Asshole.”

“Shower, I’ll make coffee.” Bucky kissed the top of Clint’s head, lingering for a moment before he was gone.

Clint sighed and forced himself into motion. He held onto his hips as he stretched his back, gasping at the pull of muscles. He knew Bucky was serious, that this was important to him, whatever this was, and no matter how desperate Clint was for the rest, he would do just about anything for Bucky. Clint wasn’t sure he could love someone as much as Bucky, wasn’t even sure he deserved someone like Bucky, but this was his life now and no matter what he felt like, he knew he had to do everything in his power to make sure he stuck around.

Taking a hot shower was a mistake. The warm spray made him feel warm, safe, and incredibly tired; Bucky would probably get angry if he fell asleep like this again so Clint tried to rush through his routine. For a brief minute he considered taking the shower cold, but the thought made all his joints hurt; the muscle strain alone from taking a cold shower would zap what little energy he had right out of him.

When Clint pulled himself out of the shower, he was greeted by the smell of coffee and a steaming mug waiting. He picked it up to smell it before he practically downed it. He finished his routine, brushing teeth and all that business, before he walked out. An outfit was around and Clint wanted to cry, he loved the man so much. Soft sweats, a hoodie, and a Tshirt for under it all. He dressed slowly, the tops taking a minute longer because his shoulders protested along the way. He looked in the mirror before he grabbed a beanie, shoving it over his head.

“Got you a travel mug around,” Bucky commented when Clint finally joined him in the living room. “Let’s go,” Bucky said, taking off.

“Lucky, be good boy,” Clint called as they left. “In such a hurry Barnes,” Clint muttered, following him and locking the door. The lunatic was already down one flight of stairs and- awww, stairs, no. Clint wanted to whine, protest the idea of this all. _Maybe I can bribe him with sex…_

He started down the stairs, taking them slow. By the time he actually met Bucky he felt winded. Bucky gave him a sympathetic smile. “Yeah… tonight we are staying at the Tower,” Clint warned him. “That… that was not fun.”

“Maybe I should cancel-”

“No,” Clint said firmly. “You are excited for...whatever this is. We are doing it. I’ll be fine. I’m just whining.”

“Clint, you actually look pale,” Bucky said. “It can wait if-”

Clint kissed him, pushing him back against a wall. Bucky moaned a bit and Clint took a step back. “Stop talking. If whatever this is becomes too much, we leave. I’ll tell you if it gets too bad. Let’s just go, okay?”

“Yeah… okay… but you can’t get mad,” Bucky said before holding Clint’s hand.

“Why would I get mad?” Clint asked.

“Because this is actually… a team event,” Bucky let on. Clint groaned and leaned forward, pressing his head against Bucky’s shoulder. “Scavenger Hunt. All around the city. We have to find clues.”

“Do we have to?” Clint whined.

“You’ll want the prize at the end,” Bucky promised. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, sure, alright. Let’s do this,” Clint muttered.

Try as he might, Clint did not find it fun. Under normal circumstances, yes. Clint would have had a blast with this. Racing against the others on the team to win? He was competitive and loved a challenge. But today Clint just wanted to sleep.

Their first stop was Clint’s favorite pizza place. He was pretty sure by default it was now Bucky’s too with the frequency they ordered from there. Just a few weeks ago when Clint got home from a mission Bucky had food waiting at home from them. Clint was also certain it was the first pizza Bucky had when he came to New York; Steve wasn’t partial to pizza and at the time, Bucky wasn’t either. Bucky made mention how they argued about the best pizza toppings, and Clint’s love for anything edible. Their fight over if pineapple belonged on pizza lasted for weeks; it was one of the few things Clint refused to eat in general. For weeks he would find a random pineapple in his flat, once in the apartment that he didn’t even realize Bucky knew about. It was all fun and games until Clint spotted Bucky carrying a pineapple and Clint launched a putty arrow and it got in Bucky’s hair.

Stop two was Bucky’s favorite burger place. It wasn’t exactly the best burger in town in Clint’s opinion, but the diner sold their food relatively cheap by New York standards and the portions were huge; huge portions were essential when eating with super soldiers and Clint. Bucky said it was their first date, the place Clint wanting to go to packed and he had forgotten to place a reservation. Clint didn’t even remember that bit of information until Bucky mentioned it.

Stop three was now at a park that Bucky and Clint go to often, mostly with Lucky. It was one of the less busy parks in the city, which Clint found soothing. They rarely got stopped here, which was even better because Bucky hated crowds, or taking photos.

“I remember the first time we came here- you snuck me out of the Tower,” Bucky commented as he searched for the clue.

“Steve was being overbearing and you needed out,” Clint said, digging around in a bush. “I think it was the first time we hung out together solo outside the Tower. I had Lucky at the Tower because I didn’t want to be alone in Bed-Stuy. You offered to go for a walk with me if it got you away from Steve. And there was no way I was going to turn that down.”

“Was that after a mission?” Bucky asked.

“No, it was my birthday.” Clint was never much into his birthday. When he was little he was lucky to get a cake and a small toy; hell, he would have been happy with new socks. When he got older, he never saw the appeal. But for the last two years, Bucky insisted on a small celebration. Even if it was just a cake and them hanging around the house. Clint still hated the day, but Bucky made it just a little bit more bearable.

“Found it!” Bucky declared, racing over with the bright neon card. “Let’s see- we have to head to the museum.”

“It’s closed,” Clint sighed. “I think we lost this, Buck. I’m sorry.” He knew it was because he was slowing them down. Normally they would be springing around the city; Clint was barely functional and had to stop for another coffee between the burger joint and the park.

“No, read the card,” Bucky instructed, passing it over.

Clint frowned and took it, glancing over it. “What in the hell? How much money did Stark spend on this?” he asked. “Alright, come on. Still running late.”

Clint wasn’t typically a fan of museums. They all seemed to stuffy, boring, full of art by dead people. Bucky, however, loved them. Clint swore Bucky was a closet nerd and was waiting for a time to pounce, just after Clint gets close enough to not throw the relationship in the trash. It didn’t really matter anymore- Clint would spend hours in that museum if Bucky asked. Hell, Clint would spend hours in any museum, no matter how boring, if Bucky really wanted to go.

When they made it to the Met, they were permitted in after showing IDs. Bucky read the card over again before he directed Clint on where to go. Clint got lost in the maze of rooms in the large structure. For once, Bucky was on a mission while Clint found himself a bench and sat. Bucky probably knew where he was going anyway and Clint had no idea who Degas was, or what the person did. He only knew a handful of artists- he knew who Van Gogh was, he even liked that stuff; he knew he hated Jackson Pollock because it was _paint splatter a four year old could do_ , and if Clint could do it, it couldn't be art.

This event was going to be the death of him with all this walking and running around. He wanted to tell Bucky that they needed to call it quits. Something in his back was hurting more than what it should and he actually was considering taking a painkiller when they got home. But Bucky was having fun with it, reliving all the memories of the places they had been.

“Clint?”

“Hm?”

Bucky found him and was frowning. “We… only have one more place to stop,” he commented. His eyebrows were knitted from worry. “We can-”

“If it’s only one more place, we can make it,” Clint replied, standing up slowly. A muscle pulled and he swore. Bucky was to him in an instant, holding him up. “It’s just a muscle tweak. Nothing major.”

“I feel… I feel like such an asshole,” Bucky muttered. “You are in pain, masking it all to have a night out with me. You look miserable.”

“I always look miserable, Barnes. That’s just my face,” Clint jested. “Come on- one last stop. Where is it at?”

“Natural history museum,” Bucky answered. “Think you can make it?”

“You know what I think?” Clint asked. “I think after all of this we grab dinner, head to the Tower because elevator. And you give me a massage; not a ends in sex massage but an honest to god massage.”

“I think I can manage that,” Bucky replied before he hugged Clint tightly, only to flinch away when Clint winced. “Maybe the others haven’t figured out the clue yet?”

“Unlikely but come on, let’s see it through.”

They made their way to yet another museum Stark had bought out for the night and walked in. The lights were dimmed, which made Clint a little wary. Something about large skeletal remains of dinosaurs barely light was a new kind of nightmare he never anticipated. Out of all the museums, this was perhaps one of Clint’s favorites; it was a little more hands on and wasn’t overly boring. They had new exhibits every month it seemed, maybe every two months. It was probably Bucky’s least favorite but he never commented on it.

Bucky’s hand tightened around Clint’s and Clint looked down at their hands before up at Bucky. Clint rubbed his hand with his thumb, but Bucky’s face was still marked with nerves.

“What? What’s going on?” Clint asked, pulling Bucky to a stop. “Why do you look nervous?”

“I don’t.”

“Buck,” Clint groaned. “Tell me?”

“Just worried about you is all,” Bucky replied. “Look- we just need to go to the planetarium and we are done. Something about ‘watch the movie’ and then we collect the item that’s in this museum.”

“Alright, easy. Watch a movie implies sitting. I am really good at sitting,” Clint said. “The planetarium is this way, right?” he asked, pulling on Bucky.

“Yeah.”

Clint was surprised no one else was there. He found a seat and got comfortable while Bucky hit a button that said “press me to start”. He sat down next to Clint and held his hand. Clint yawned then looked at the ceiling before becoming confused. The dome lit up with pictures of them- Bucky and Clint on all their vacations, some from the media post-battles. He glanced at Bucky before he looked back up, his stomach flipping a little.

_“So I know you probably have no idea whats going on right now, doll. You are kind of oblivious to a lot of things. But think about everything we did today. The places we went, some of the places we passed and I commented on. They are all the places we have some connection with.”_

“Buck,” Clint whispered. “It’s our… I forgot-”

 _“Stop talking, Barton. You are going to ruin the moment,”_ audio Bucky scolded and Clint tried not to laugh. Hell, Clint was trying not to cry. _“I had a lot of help planning out today. Stark most of all thought this was the perfect idea after I approached him about it. Because you had no idea this whole time that people have been following us, taking photos. And by now I am pretty sure you have an idea of what is happening and you are probably going to cry, which I am betting on. Serious, cry, I bet Stark.”_ Clint elbowed Bucky.

_“Clint- we have been together now, today, officially for two years. And it hasn’t always been easy- nothing is with us. But deciding this was probably the easiest decision of my life. Ignore the door as it opens- it’s just our friends here wanting to support us on one of the biggest days of our lives. And just remember, no matter what, I love you.”_

The photos went away and was replaced with a map of stars, some highlighted to spell out “will you marry me?”. Clint looked over as the lights turned on and Bucky and was holding a box.

“So… there were supposed to be a lot more stops, but you are kinda… hurting,” Bucky commented. “It was supposed to be a whole day but you needed some sleep. So… Clinton Barton- will you marry me?”

Clint was at a loss for words. “You really want- you want to- do I?” he asked.

Bucky’s nervous smile dropped to his normal barely there smile. “Doll, either you do, or you don’t. I can’t make this decision for you.”

Clint’s eyes flickered to the door where the team was all standing, waiting. Natasha had her arms crossed and mouthed _say yes_. Clint smiled weakly then looked back at Bucky. He was back to looking nervous and Clint had no idea why but it made Clint settle a little and he felt his lips twitch up.

“You realize if I say yes, you are stuck with me, right?” Clint asked, not meaning for it to come across as insecure as it sounded.

“Can’t think of a better guy to be stuck with,” Bucky commented. “I love you, Clint. Always have, always will.”

Clint huffed out a little laugh and rubbed his face. “Fucking crying,” he muttered.

“Stark owes me twenty,” Bucky called out to the others with a smirk.

“Say the word already, Barton!” Tony shouted, sounding amused.

Clint laughed. “Yeah yeah, give me a second. Stuck on the feels." 

Clint moved, angling his body to get a better look at Bucky. He almost faked looking sure of himself, of this, but Clint picked up the underlying tone of possible rejection. He was guarding himself, preparing for the worse. Clint smiled more and reached over, grabbing a fistful of Bucky's shirt and forcing him to close the gap. If Clint could kiss him until Bucky had no questions left on their relationship status, how much Clint loved him, Clint would. He wasn't good with words, he couldn't remember dates, but Clint was good at expressing himself in other ways. He was good at all the little things while Bucky was better at all the bigger things. 

When Clint broke the kiss he rested his forehead against Bucky's, a smirk breaking out as he stared into Bucky's eyes, his fingers drumming against Bucky's chest. "Give me the stupid ring, Barnes. It’s a yes.”


End file.
